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The increasing number and sophistication of data breaches has led to increased concern among boards, regulators, and the public about threats to the data environment. That, in turn, has led to a desire for constant data protection – and a rise in the importance of continuous compliance monitoring to be sure that those data protection efforts are always sufficient and working.

Threat, vulnerability, and risk – these words often appear side by side in security discussions. But what exactly do they mean, and how do they differ from one another? This article discusses the relationships among threats, vulnerabilities, and risk. Then we’ll explore various methods for calculating and managing these issues, and provide insights into securing against potential security threats.

Are you considering whether cyber insurance is worth it for your organization? It could be. With the rise in ransomware, DDoS attacks and data breaches, cyber insurance is being used as a way for companies to protect themselves as they realize risks in their business. However, many insurers are now excluding ransomware1 and state-backed attacks2 from their coverage. So, how can you determine whether cyber insurance is worth it?

Compliance testing, also known as conformance testing, is a periodic, independent, and objective assessment of compliance-related processes or controls. As the name implies, you’re testing those controls to see how well they actually work.

Compliance is often viewed as a “one and done” activity – an annual rite of passage, for example, performed during yearly audits. That is an archaic approach to compliance in the modern business world, and won’t suffice any longer. Instead, organizations must adopt a mindset of continuous compliance, where adherence to regulatory requirements becomes integral to day-to-day operations. How can a company achieve that evolved state?

The demands and pressure on GRC and cybersecurity professionals are increasing more than ever before, which means teams need to expand and grow to keep up. However, companies are finding it difficult to fill their open positions with skilled staff. In fact, 80% of GRC and IT security professionals agree that their cybersecurity and risk teams are understaffed, found the 2023 RiskOptics Cyber Risk Viewpoints Report. What does this mean for you?

A crucial part of building a robust and effective enterprise risk management (ERM) program is to perform a periodic review of your organization’s risk management activities. This assessment process is best accomplished using an established risk maturity model, an essential tool to plan and mitigate enterprise risk. A risk maturity model (RMM) is an assessment tool focused on your organization’s risk culture and risk management program.

Many security and compliance professionals hear the term “continuous monitoring” as part of their information security process, and have a good grasp of the term’s meaning – but “continuous auditing” may feel redundant or confusing. That’s unfortunate. Understanding how continuous auditing fits into a security-first approach to cybersecurity helps both to protect the integrity of your data and to prove the strength of your controls work.

Regular, comprehensive audits keep organizations on track. Audits come in all shapes and sizes, too: internal and external audits; audits of finance, audits of data, audits of operations. As a business owner, whether for a large enterprise or a small business, you want to assure that your stakeholders can trust your business operations and that your finances are in order. Internal audits are a great way to reinforce that trust and credibility.